‘Gezahnte’ Tomato
Behold, the first of the non-cherry, indeterminate tomatoes that has reached maturity for 2009. And it’s a beauty. Incidentally, I’ve managed to grow several ruffled tomato varieties this year purely by happenstance. Well, that and the fact that I have a very obvious preference for that shape.
I’m yet to try it out, but I believe this tomato is a stuffer, which means it is fairly hollow on the inside and great for stuffing with veggies and rice and baking in the oven. I’m waiting for another to ripen so it can be put to the test.
And this is where I admit that my rooftop, container-grown tomatoes are doing pretty well this year despite the troubles that most in-ground gardens are facing with so much rain and cool weather. Don’t hate! These are the sort of conditions under which rooftop and container gardens have the upper hand (finally). I can regulate excess water, I rarely have to pull out the watering can to keep things moist enough, and the garden is warmer than gardens on the ground because it’s up high and exposed. In a typical year I am fighting the excess heat, sun, and drought but this year is almost too easy.
August 14th, 2009 at 8:50 am
Hi Gayla,
What kind of tomato is this? Looks lovely!
August 14th, 2009 at 9:06 am
I, too, love the ruffled ones. I always grow Zapotec Pleated. This year, I am also growing Purple Calabash. To me, Zapotec has the best, most tomato-y flavor of all the tomatoes I grow, and I grow a lot of really nice-flavored ones!
August 14th, 2009 at 10:04 am
Both of those are in my top 10!
August 14th, 2009 at 10:12 am
Ooh, Gayla, that is a beautiful tomato!
I’m growing Pink Zapos this year too, but I’ve never tried them before. Actually, I think I decided to grow them after reading about them on here. I really like the pleated varieties, they just look so fancy.
And I hear you on the rooftop, everything on mine’s doing great except for the potatoes.
August 14th, 2009 at 10:35 am
I’m growing two ruffles this year, Ceylon and Tlacolula. The Ceylons are wonderful, the plant is very prolific. They are almost a cherry in size and few seeds so I added them to my paste tomatoes when I pureed them. I have yet to taste a ‘Lula,’ as I’m calling them.
August 14th, 2009 at 10:39 am
Hello Gayla,
This is so great you have success with growing tomato in containers. My tomatoes this year are doing pretty poor, because of huge amount of rain we have this year. Rather not normal weather.
Greetings,
Ewa
August 14th, 2009 at 11:37 am
I am anxiously crossing my fingers I will have an intermediate ready this weekend. Most of my tomato garden are heirlooms with the excessive “lobes” that I love, this weekend my hopes are for the hybrid called Pink Beauty….I’m obsessively checking it several times a day.
August 14th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
And….I just realized the name of the tomato was right in the title. I’ve clearly not had enough coffee today :)
August 14th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Ciao Gayla-
Yay, you got a ripe one, too! I just picked my second one a little under-ripe before the last of our rain. The first one went into Panzanella and you’re right, they’re semi-hollow with few seeds, at least the first ones are. How’s your plant doing, health-wise? Mine’s not super tall. It’s in the ground and it’s oh, I guess maybe 5 ft right now, but it’s totally loaded up, so we’re in for party times!
August 14th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
Now that’s a beautiful tomater. Making a note to try some of the ruffled tomatoes mentioned here next time around — that they taste great too is a bonus. So pretty.
August 16th, 2009 at 6:15 am
Ohh, that IS a pretty tomato! How did it taste?
August 16th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
what a cute tomato :) i wish mine were even close to redy yo come off the vine :( i left my tomatos on our back deck and my mother in law was left to water them the week i went away and she waters them on the day i get back…. grrr well i hope the plant makes SOME tomatos …
August 23rd, 2009 at 6:37 pm
that’s a really nice one. Like Amy I’m wondering if it tastes as good as it looks.